


Hunger Pains

by Onehelluvapilot



Series: Febuwhump [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Animal Death, Gen, Huddling For Warmth, Hunger Pains, Hurt No Comfort, Mild starvation, Platonic Cuddling, Starvation, hunger
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:35:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29099646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Onehelluvapilot/pseuds/Onehelluvapilot
Summary: On their way home from a diplomatic mission, the Knight's horses get run off, with all their food in their saddlebags. Most of the group is used to some measure of hunger, but Arthur and Leon are not.
Series: Febuwhump [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2134998
Comments: 8
Kudos: 48





	Hunger Pains

**Author's Note:**

> Betaed by the lovely writer LiGi, who is also doing febuwhump with Merlin characters! Go check her out!

“I can’t take this anymore,” Arthur groaned, clutching at his stomach with both hands. Leon looked to be in a similar state, one hand carded up into his hair and his eyes squeezed tightly closed.

“Just go to sleep,” Merlin counseled from where he sat poking at the campfire with a stick.

“Pray tell, Merlin, how am I supposed to relax when it feels like there’s a hole being gnawed in my stomach?” the king retorted. Gwaine threw a shoe at him from across their campsite.

“We’re all hungry, Princess,” he snapped. “And it wasn’t his fault that we ran out of food, so don’t go taking it out on him.” The manservant had in fact made sure they had more than enough supplies for the diplomatic mission to Tír-Mòr, where they would attempt to repair relations between the kingdom and Camelot, which had been damaged by Alfuric and Sophia masquerading as the royal family when in fact they were no such thing. 

Merlin had distributed the food for both the journey there and the return trip between the saddlebags of all the horses, so even if one ran off they would still have some, but they hadn’t been prepared to be besieged by the Sidhe. All their horses had been stolen and they’d barely escaped with their lives. And now, they were facing a week-long journey back home without any supplies. Lancelot had managed to trap a few rabbits with some snares he’d set out the previous night, and Elyan found some edible berries, but it hadn’t been nearly enough to satisfy all seven of them. They were all starving and irritable, but Arthur and Leon were definitely handling it the worst.

“I don’t understand how you all seem to be handling this so well,” Arthur grumbled, looking across the fire to where Lancelot, Elyan, and Percival were all asleep. Their bedrolls had also been with the horses, so they had laid out one of their cloaks on the ground for Percival to lay on and the two other men were cuddling him from either side with their own cloaks laid over them as blankets to try to stay warm. 

“Well, we’re used to it,” Merlin said with a shrug. “I think you and Leon are the only ones of us that haven’t gone hungry at some point in our lives.”

“And it gets better with practice?” Arthur asked.

“You learn how to deal with it better,” Gwaine replied.

“And how’s that?” Leon asked. He looked uncomfortable too, holding his head with one hand.

“Drink more, for one thing,” Merlin suggested, passing his water skin to Arthur as Gwaine did the same for Leon. They’d been lucky that each of them had had their waterskins with them when the horses were stolen, so at least they wouldn’t die of thirst. If they hadn’t lost their pot along with the horses, Merlin would have boiled the rabbit bones in it and made them some broth to drink, but sadly, they just had water. “It’ll help with the headaches and at least make your stomach feel more full.”

“Other than that, just try not to think about it, go to sleep, and hope Lancelot’s traps have caught more rabbits by the morning,” Gwaine added, before bundling himself in his cloak and laying down to sleep.

“You  _ should _ try to sleep,” Merlin agreed with a worried glance at Arthur before moving to lay down beside Gwaine and cuddle up close to him. It wasn’t too cold of a night, but they were all exhausted already and it would be best for them not to use more of their waning energy than necessary trying to stay warm. He had a bad feeling Arthur wouldn’t do the same, but hopefully Leon, as his oldest friend, could convince him. One of them would probably stay up to keep first watch, and after that, they would be able to sleep and escape the hunger they couldn’t stand.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments are always appreciated, and/or you can come talk to me on tumblr where I'm @gremlinbehaviour


End file.
